ahhhh ok the coker.

 

So, how do you like the Dunlop?

 

I've gotten another Dunnie, courtesy of my yankee friend, Dan Koich. His bike is slammed for shorter inseams, and apparently rejects any and all Darkside mods with wobble; and he pulls a TimeOut trailer too, so NO room for error.
I'm still okay with the Dunnies, but would prefer the braking of the Vredestein or Austones; lacking the wobble. I totally HATE it that he's not able to run ANYTHING Darkside on his bike, because he was, (like me), convinced that this was the shizzit...apparently there are some configurations that will not befriend this world of superior contact patch.
It will be interesting to see what any others with slammed bikes have for results.
Please chime in.

 

I put my Dunnie on the bike on 28 June. Since then, I've put a lil over 6000 miles on the ole girl. I gotta say, I've hated pretty much every one of em. Gotta keep running her as funds are tight. I've played with tire pressures from 24 psi up to 55, and can't get rid of the wobble. I've adjusted the steering neck bearing, and installed the Progressive Suspension stabilizer, to no avail. I've done some extensive reading on replacing the swingarm bearings, as when they wear out, bad juju starts to happen. My '07 has just under 64,000 on her, so perhaps it's time. I received the bearings in the mail today, and just gotta get time to put the ole girl down long enough to get it done.

I can typically ride in a straight line up to 75, as long as I don't have a headwind, or side wind. If I move my feet from the footboards to the highway pegs, it'll induce wobble. Hit a bump or pothole, or uneven road surface, wobble. Belch and fart at the same time.... wobble.

Also, this tire is soooo tall compared to the MT. If I don't run over 25psi in the shocks, she rubs when I hit much of a bump. I've had to fix my wiring under the fender.

Now, for an interesting observation. Let's say I'm running down the road at 70 MPH Indicated, in 5th gear, with head or side wind. I might have a slight wobble, more of an uneasiness, if ya will. Reach for 6th gear, and and it gets worse. Go back to 5th, and it gets better. This is another reason I'm wondering if those swingarm bearings are the culprit.

Another interesting observation is that I can put the ole lady on the bitch seat, and ride 85 no problems. The added weight fixes it.

I'll post the results of the bearing change. If that is indeed the problem, then there's a GY Assurance tire that will fit, albeit considerably shorter. It's even shorter than the MT. I've got a lead on one for $75 so it's worth a shot.

 

What size tire are you running that is so much taller than stock?

 

It's a 175R16, same as the Austone.

 

Well after reading what you said about the dunnie, I reckon I will give up on a car tire. I shipped my austone to a forum member , he should have got it today , hope it works out for him. I think it is a bike problem more than a tire problem but who knows?

 

Well, the Austone provided much better wet traction, and superior rear braking ability, to be sure. Lemme see what happens when I get the swingarm bearings replaced. I feel fairly confident this will help.

Last time I had my rear tire off, I unbolted the shocks. This allows the swingarm to fall freely. Once I did this, I had side play. I have read that ppl have cured the bagger wobble by replacing these bearings with great success.

 

Muuuudflapper....
Some had me thinking I needed the bagger wobble kit, but after checking, it's not needed for softails. You obviously need bearings/bushings/washers, or whatnot to tighten up the slop, and hopefully that takes care of you. I did see a post where it did not work for one guy, and he had to buy the kit, being one of us aggressive riders.
Still, I wonder if a good CT plus bearings may have fixed his ride outright? Keep posting.
You mentioned a deal on a shorter CT. I'd guess that would absolutely NOT wanna wobble, being a shorter aspect ratio and sidewall, and you'd have all the traction advantages we see - however, your gearing will drop ratio somewhat, and at highway speeds, could be a buzz bomb; I'd look at the charts to see what your rpm will be.